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Question For The Ladies, Please!


janiedelite

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I've noticed that since I've come down with POTS, I've struggled with nearly constant yeast infections. I'm complaining today because I just finished a course of over-the-counter treatment and I'm still having irritation down there. I'm sure it's yeast because my last pap smear was normal except for an overgrowth of yeast. At the time, my doctor asked about this but for some reason I didn't want to purue it. I was too overwhelmed with my more serious symptoms... silly me! :)

I notice that any time I undergo stress, I develop a worse yeast infection along with my POTS flare. I know chronic yeast infections can be a sign of immune dysfunction, but my white cell count is normal as well as my ANA. I've been tested for every autoimmune disease known to man. But like many of you, I catch any bug that's going around and am twice as sick for twice as long, often developing secondary infections. That never happened prior to POTS.

So, I am going to bring this up to my doctor within the next few days. But do any of you have any thoughts?

Thanks in advance ;) .

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Thankful, If you wear compression that could be part of your problem. Also this condition can mess with your blood sugar ( and depending on what you eat). yeast thrives with sugar. I take a probiotic daily and I eat yogurt daily.

I know how awful these things are. You can try sitting in a bath with baking soda. I bathe with epson salts. Also if you must wear compression try sleeping au natural (at least your lower half). Hope this problem clears soon. They S@ck.

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Caprycilic acid can help in treating yeast overgrowth. It's a tablet, you can buy it from herbalists/health food store kind of places. It's made of something from coconut and the tub smells lovely and coconutty! (I stick my nose into it every time I take one coz it smells gooood lol).

Acidophilis is good too, as well as natural yoghurt.

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I also was just told I had a yeast infection based on my Pap test. I didn't even have a clue that I had one. But now that I have treated it, I do feel better in that area. :)

I really don't have any suggestions. I just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone.

Babette

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Thanks guys... I've had to quit wearing my waist-high compression hose and have been wearing thigh-highs for 7 months now. I know my diet contributes to this problem, too. Being on a gastroparesis diet means no whole grains and too many simple carbs. However, this problem has been ongoing for at least 2 years now. I did go through 4 months of eating no sugar or simple carbs, but still the issue remained. Thanks for the probiotic suggestion. I should get some, for sure! And I do have a carton of epsom salts in the bathroom. It's been sitting there for months, and now I'll have a reason to use it!

So, do any of you notice that you tend to get these infections more during episodes of worse POTS symptoms?

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yes... I do. I got a RX cream from the GYN. Over the counter stuff doesn't work for me. Also to be a bit personal... make sure you wear cotton underwear and try using a baby or unscented laundry soap.

Once you get this cleared up I really suggest you make sure to use a probiotic. ( I know I am spelling it wrong. this is the only prevention that I have found to work. I have know idea how POTS and this are related. But they may be.

I think yeast infections are so awful I really think about prevention. Don't suffer though. I would call your dr. and get something to knock it out. I have heard of people putting vinegar in the tub. The salt will not make you smell like an Easter egg. I think the point is to change the PH of the water. good luck!

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I'm going to try what the others have suggested for myself since I too, suffer from many yeast infections. Another question for you - are you on birth control? I'm on birth control in order to control my migraines and the severity. The bad thing about that is that my doctor said birth control pills can throw off the ph balance down there and thus, more infections. I've tried lots of things and have found that staying away from sugar and eating lots of yogurt has helped.

I'm also going to try caprycilic acid as I'm ready to try more to keep these infections away! They really are miserable. Is this really a POTS related thing or just something that certain females get? Some friends and family I know never have had one and others are like me and suffer regularly with them. You can bet that if men suffered like we do, there would be a lot more alternative medicines/treatments out there on the market!

Brenda

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PS. To be really personal ...ask about treating your husband. Men can sometimes have yeast issues and pass it back to their wives. I don't know much about this b/c my poor husband is neglected :lol: ...but I have read that yeast can live on the skin.

Funny you mentioned that, as he's been treated for skin fungal issues.

No birth control pills right now. I do agree that a good probiotic is in order!

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PS. To be really personal ...ask about treating your husband. Men can sometimes have yeast issues and pass it back to their wives. I don't know much about this b/c my poor husband is neglected :blink: ...but I have read that yeast can live on the skin.

My GYN told me this once too. I used to be prone to them, and she said stay away from hubby until treatment was done b/c he could pass it back to me.

Hope you feel better!

~Kelli

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  • 6 months later...

I just did a search for yeast infections and this old thread came up.. so I never had a yeast infection in my life, until about 2-3 months ago. I called my gyn because I had severe itching down there... but no other symptoms. She told me over the phone that it was a yeast infection and recommended an over the counter med. I bought what she told me, had a miserable week but it cleared up after that... She mentioned a lot of women get them right before their periods due to hormone changes etc. Well... lucky me, now a few months later, I have that wonderful itching again. I didn't bother to call the gyn again, we haven't changed laundry detergents or anything so I just assumed it was the beginning of another infection and I ran out earlier and got monistat. Of course I read the box where it says frequent yeast infections can mean you have HIV or a compromised immune system... gotta love the warnings on different products. So now I am wondering, although I don't have an autoimmune deficiency, does POTS on its own compromise our immune system? I know sometimes if there is a stomach virus going around my office I don't get the stomach virus but instead I get a major POTS flare up so I have always just assumed that I am more susceptible to catching things... but I just thought it was weird that I went 29 years with 0 yeast infections and now within a matter of months I am now on my second one. Ug... not fun!! I figured I will discuss it with my gyn on my next visit, but everyone on here always seems to be more knowledgeable than most of my doctors anyways!

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